Medical Support Services Workers

How to become a Respiratory Therapist

Official Chinese title (2022 occupational classification): 呼吸治疗师

Uses ventilators, nebulisers, lung function testers, sleep study equipment and other devices to assess, treat and rehabilitate the heart, lungs and related organs, and gives health education and advice.

Main tasks

Monitoring and assessing heart and lung function through lung function tests, sleep studies, cardiopulmonary exercise tests, breathing mechanics and blood gas analysis, and planning respiratory treatment
Assessing and managing patients who rely on breathing support and maintaining ventilators and other equipment and making sure they are used properly
Planning and carrying out artificial and natural airway care for each patient
Planning and carrying out nebuliser, airway humidification and airway clearance treatments
Keeping respiratory treatment safe when patients are moved within or outside hospital or in emergencies
Managing, guiding and advising on pulmonary rehabilitation, helping people quit smoking and promoting lung health
Taking part in researching, developing and spreading respiratory treatment techniques and equipment

Ways in

University: Allied Health degrees, Offered by 62 universities in China Related undergraduate subject classes in the Ministry of Education catalogue (2025): Medical Technology (1010); majors such as Rehabilitation Therapy, Medical Laboratory Technology, Medical Experimental Technology, Medical Imaging Technology, Optometry, Dental Technology. Matched to the occupation by Peernovo.
Vocational majors: Higher vocational college (高职专科) major: Respiratory Therapy Technology (520506). Vocational major 520506 Respiratory Therapy Technology (呼吸治疗技术), 3 years. The Ministry of Education's 2022 major profiles list this occupation among those the major prepares students for (职业面向). Example certificates: Health Professional and Technical Qualification; Traditional Chinese Medicine Constitution Assessment and Application.; Vocational bachelor (职业本科) major: Respiratory Therapy Technology (320506). Vocational major 320506 Respiratory Therapy Technology (呼吸治疗技术), 4 years. The Ministry of Education's 2022 major profiles list this occupation among those the major prepares students for (职业面向).

Pay · AI and this job

Median pay in China: CN¥50,000 a year (2025).
Middle half: CN¥37,700 to CN¥67,700. One in ten earn less than CN¥30,000 and one in ten more than CN¥99,100.
This is the figure for the mid group Health, Sports and Leisure Services Workers, not for this job alone.
National figure: wage prices of enterprise employees from the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security (MOHRSS) enterprise pay survey. The public sector and the self-employed are not covered.
Guangzhou only: median CN¥89,814 a year (2025), middle half CN¥61,803 to CN¥121,907.
This is the figure for the minor group Medical Support Services Workers, not for this job alone.
Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.

Who does this work

The census group Health, Sports and Leisure Services Workers holds 0.07% of everyone employed in China; 66.5% of its workers are women (2020 Census).
45.1% are under 35, 46.5% are 35 to 54 and 8.5% are 55 or older. The middle age band is 35 to 39.
Census figures for the whole mid group (2020 long-form sample), not for this job alone.

Questions people ask

How do I become a Respiratory Therapist?

Ways in include: Allied Health degrees; Higher vocational college (高职专科) major: Respiratory Therapy Technology (520506); Vocational bachelor (职业本科) major: Respiratory Therapy Technology (320506).

How much does a Respiratory Therapist earn in China?

Across China, the median pay of enterprise employees is CN¥50,000 a year (Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security (MOHRSS), 2025). The public sector and the self-employed are not covered. It is the figure for the mid group Health, Sports and Leisure Services Workers. In Guangzhou alone it is CN¥89,814 a year (2025).

Will AI change the work of a Respiratory Therapist?

Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.

Sources

Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security (MOHRSS): 2025 enterprise pay survey information: wage prices of enterprise employees by occupation mid group, and digital occupations (P10 to P90 annual CNY) (2025 (published 2026-07-08)), retrieved 5 October 2026
Guangzhou Human Resources and Social Security Bureau: Guangzhou 2025 labour market wage prices (P10 to P90 annual CNY by occupation) (2025 (enterprise pay survey)), retrieved 4 October 2026
National Bureau of Statistics of China: China Population Census Yearbook 2020, long-form tables 4-6 and 4-7 (employed by occupation mid group, sex, age) (2020 Census long form (10% sample)), retrieved 4 October 2026
International Labour Organization, Generative AI and Jobs: A Refined Global Index of Occupational Exposure (ILO Working Paper 140, Gmyrek et al.) (ILO Working Paper 140, May 2025, Annex Table A1), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 4 October 2026

Sources: Occupational Classification of the People's Republic of China (2022 edition, public consultation draft), Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, State Administration for Market Regulation and National Bureau of Statistics; Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, 2025 enterprise pay survey information; Guangzhou Human Resources and Social Security Bureau, 2025 labour market wage prices; National Bureau of Statistics of China (www.stats.gov.cn), 2020 Population Census yearbook; Ministry of Education, vocational education major profiles (2022 revision) and undergraduate major catalogue (2025); Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, national vocational qualifications catalogue (2021); O*NET interest scores (CC BY 4.0); ILO global generative AI exposure index (CC BY 4.0). Figures processed by Peernovo. English text, translations and the matching of occupations to ISCO-08, majors, degree fields and qualifications by Peernovo.

Descriptions and tasks are Peernovo's own words, written from the facts in the Occupational Classification of the People's Republic of China (2022 edition). Job titles and work types are the classification's own.

Updated 5 October 2026